AceShowbiz - Drake played a pivotal role in elevating Young Money to a dominant force in hip-hop, but there was a surprising period when he was not permitted on Lil Wayne’s tour bus. This revelation comes from Adam Bhala Lough, the director behind the influential documentary The Carter, who recently spoke about the film and its long-awaited sequel in a conversation with journalist Andre Gee.

Lough recounted his experience filming Lil Wayne during the peak of the Tha Carter III era. He shared an amusing story highlighting Drake’s awkwardness and early outsider status within the Young Money camp. “Most of the time when I wasn’t filming Wayne directly, I’d hang out with Tez Bryant, Mack Maine, and Nicki Minaj,” Lough explained. “Before Wayne appeared on The Jimmy Kimmel Show, when Nicki was still unknown, Drake wasn’t even allowed on the bus. He was such a dork that they just didn’t let him on.”

The director further elaborated on the tense environment surrounding the tour bus. “Once Drake’s records started selling in the millions, things changed completely,” he said. “But initially, he wasn’t permitted on the bus because there were actual Blood gang members around all the time. I’m sure he was intimidated, as was I, even though they were cool to me. These were serious gang members carrying guns.”

Adam Bhala Lough is no stranger to music documentaries and videos, having worked with artists like MF DOOM and chronicling dub legend Lee “Scratch” Perry. He also shared a surprising tidbit about the original financing plans for The Carter: the project was set to be backed by none other than disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein and former Trump strategist Steve Bannon.

“Quincy Jones III reached out to me after seeing one of my prior films,” Lough recalled. “He had a deal with a Miramax offshoot, which oddly enough was owned by Harvey Weinstein and Steve Bannon. Few remember that Bannon started out as a movie producer. It would have been incredible if they had funded the documentary, but their company shut down during production.”

The director also addressed the status of the sequel, which recently surfaced online due to a leak. This unreleased footage covers the Tha Carter and Tha Carter II periods, capturing Lil Wayne creating unreleased tracks and collaborating with a young 2 Chainz (then known as Tity Boi) and Curren$y. The film also touches on Wayne’s well-documented conflicts with Cash Money Records.

Whether the sequel will see an official release remains uncertain. However, Lough is optimistic, having had positive discussions with Wayne’s manager, Fabian Marasciullo. “There are two paths: a major streaming platform might pick it up, or we could self-distribute directly to fans,” he said. “We’ll see how it unfolds; it will happen as it’s meant to.”

Lough hinted that the sequel might be divided into two parts due to the extensive footage. “If split into two, it’s about 40% complete; if just one film, closer to 70% done. There’s still mixing, color correction, and other post-production work required.”

The rough cut of the sequel is available on Lough’s YouTube channel, offering fans a rare behind-the-scenes glimpse at one of hip-hop’s most influential artists during critical stages of his career.